According to Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's market research firm for the graphics industry, revised data reveals that PC GPU market increased 0.2% quarter-to-quarter, prompting the research firm to
release an update to its quarterly “Market Watch” report for results of Q2 2018 for GPU shipments worldwide.
Overall GPU shipments increased 0.2% from last quarter: AMD's shipments decreased -1%, Nvidia -7.5%, while Intel increased 2.6%. This is an upward revision from JPR’s August 29 news release.
Year-to-year total GPU shipments decreased -3.3%, desktop graphics decreased -2.8%, notebooks decreased -3.3%.
Research shows that the PC market is definitely showing more stabilization after having shaken off the run-up from crypto-mining; overall volume slipped year-to-year but with bright spots for the market from quarter-to-quarter.
Q1 '18 can be marked as the peak and end of the use of GPUs for crypto-mining. Desktop GPUs, which went into mining rigs, have dropped back to their normal volume.
The second quarter is typically down from the previous quarter in the seasonal cycles of the past, says Jon Peddie, president of JPR. For Q2 '18 it increased 0.2% from last quarter and was below the 10-year average of 2.9%.
Quick Highlights
- AMD's overall market share decreased -0.2% quarter-to-quarter, Intel's total market share increased 1.6% from last quarter, and Nvidia's decreased -1.4%.
- The attach rate of GPUs (includes integrated and discrete GPUs) to PCs for the quarter was 138%, which was down -1.6% from last quarter.
- Discrete GPUs were in 35% of PCs, down -4% from last quarter.
- The overall PC market increased 1.9% quarter-to-quarter and increased 2% year-to-year.
- Desktop graphics add-in boards (AIBs) that use discrete GPUs decreased -22% from last quarter.
- Q2 '18 saw no change in tablet shipments from last quarter.
JPR’s findings include discrete and integrated graphics (CPU and chipset) for desktops, notebooks (and netbooks). It does not include iPad and Android-based tablets, ARM-based servers, or x86-based servers. It does include x86-based tablets, Chromebooks, and embedded systems.
GPUs are traditionally a leading indicator of the market, since a GPU goes into every non-server system before it is shipped, and most of the PC vendors are guiding cautiously for Q2 '18. The gaming PC segment, where higher-end GPUs are used, was a bright spot in the market in the quarter.
For those who wish to understand the PC market, an understanding of the highly complex technology and ecosystem that has been built around the GPU is essential to understanding the market's future directions.
JPR’s “Market Watch” is available now in both electronic and hard copy editions, and sells for $2,500.